


Letters

by TheGnomelyOne



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alice Jones/Robin Mills - Freeform, CuriousArcher, F/F, F/M, Gen, Kelly West, M/M, MadArcher - Freeform, Multi, Regina Mills - Freeform, WonderBow, Zelena Mills - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-03-20 05:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18986422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGnomelyOne/pseuds/TheGnomelyOne
Summary: Alice writes to her father. He writes back. They aren't the only ones. Some ideas that came to mind. Not really in any particular order. First time posting on this site.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own the OUaT or the characters. Only this story is mine.

Dearest Papa,

I have so many things that I want to say to you, but I don’t know where to start. Yes, I do.

I miss you! I love you! I miss you!

I wish I had said those things to you when I saw you. I’m sorry that I hurt you. I really did think that I was cured. I promise, I’ll never stop looking for a cure. We’ll be together again, someday, I just know it!

You asked me how I got out of the tower and I told you it was a long story. It is, so I’ll give you the short version, since I don’t have a lot of parchment yet. Papa, apparently, I have magic. Crazy, isn’t it? I don’t know how it works, not yet, not really, but I know it’s true. Robin, the person who gave you this letter, convinced me. Anyway, on my seventeenth birthday, I made a wish - just like I did every year - to break that horrible spell and get out of the tower. At first, I didn’t think it worked. And then, a huge Troll ripped the roof off. I was scared, at first, but he was nice, and he let me sit on his hand. He lifted me out of the tower and set me on the ground. The ground! Oh, Papa, how I wish you’d been there! It was the most glorious thing in the world. And, once I had gotten out, I knew what I had to do.

Papa, did you ever come back to look for me? Did you ever wonder where I’d gone?

I tried to find you, to tell you that I was free, that I was going to find a cure, so we could be together again. Except, when I asked about you, nobody seemed to have heard of the great Captain Hook. I even found the Jolly Roger once, but Captain Smee told me he hadn’t seen you in years. So, I thought, maybe you were looking for a cure, too. I hoped I’d see you again, someday.

You’ve probably heard by now that I’ve been to many different realms over the years. I even went to Wonderland. Whatever you do, Papa, don’t go to Wonderland. It’s a completely mad place - and your cure is not there, even though the poison it comes from is. It makes me wonder if the poison came from a different realm, so I’ll never stop looking for a cure. If I have to travel to every realm ever, I will find a way for us to be together again. I promise.

I have help now, too. Robin. Isn’t she wonderful, Papa? She saved me from a bully, showed me that I have magic, and then she asked to be my friend. She asked me. Nobody has ever wanted to be my friend - except you, of course, but you have to be my friend, don’t you? You are my papa, after all. Robin said that she will help me try to find a cure for you and that she will deliver my letters to you. She’s already the best friend I think I’ll ever have. 

Will you write to me, Papa? I want to know what happened to you after that witch did what she did. I want to know all about where you’ve been and what you’ve done. And, if you want, I’ll tell you all about my adventures. Remember when you taught me how to fight with a sabre? Well, I’m very glad that you did. A broadsword is a little different, but I knew enough, and it saved my life. Thank you, Papa.

I’ve got to end this -- I’m running out of parchment. I’ll be sure to get more when I go to the village next time. I love you, Papa, and someday, we will be together again.

Your Alice


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hook responds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own no OUaT characters, just these stories. Enjoy!

Dear Starfish,

I have missed you too! Very much! When Robin gave me your letter I very nearly cried. I haven’t seen you since… Well since last time. I am glad to know that you are alright. I am too. Regina couldn’t do much for me but she stayed by my side. I wish like hell it could have been you my girl! Being without you is like having a hole in my heart. Someday we will be together again. I know we will!

I love you so very very much Alice! I am so proud of you for figuring out a way to get free of that awful tower. I always knew that you were a special girl. I can’t believe how much you grew up. You are so much more beautiful than I ever could have imagined you would be! I always knew that you would do great things in your life. Robin told me some of them - do I want to know what a ‘jabberwock’ is? Or a ‘bandersnatch’? Neither one of them sounds pleasant.

I’m so pleased that you made a friend. Robin hasn’t been with us very long but she has been an asset. Her mother is a little prickly so I would be wary of her. Regina seems somewhat less excitable unless Henry is threatened. She can be a real mama bear if her cub is in danger. You should see her with Lucy -- she loves being a grandmother. Even though she says she isn’t old enough to be called ‘grandma’. 

I did wonder what happened to you, love. Of course I did. All that I wanted to do was find you, once I found out that the tower was no more. I’m sorry that I never got to meet your friend the troll, to thank him for rescuing you. Robin told me some of what happened on your birthday, about how you saved her and the villagers from the troll and saved him from them. I may have to pay him a visit, to thank him in person.

Your birthday. I celebrated it every year, Starfish. The passage of time for someone my age can make certain things start to blur together. That day stands out. It’s the day I became the happiest man alive, the day I saw your face for the first time. I knew right then that I would love you for the rest of my life. I did and I still do. I know that we can’t be near each other, but it makes me feel a little better, knowing that you’re free, living your life.

Please be careful, Starfish. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you again. Robin told me that she would be happy to deliver these letters for us and I can’t thank her enough. She even says she’ll ‘take vid io’ of you - whatever that means. She assured me that it is ‘all good’ and not magical in the least. I do hope she’s right.

I do want to hear all about your adventures. I want to hear about all of the places you’ve been and things you’ve done. I want to know you, the grown up you. What do you like? What do you hate? Have you been to the ocean? On a ship? Are you still afraid of thunderstorms? Do you remember how I used to sing to you until the storm passed? I haven’t sang since I lost you. Most of all, I want to know that you are happy. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy.

I am so very sorry, for what happened, Alice! I never meant to hurt you that day. I shouldn’t have let my pride over ride my promise to you. I swear that if I am ever given the chance again, I will always choose you. I swear it on my honour. I love you. Always. No matter what, I will always be the proudest papa in all the realms.

I’m going to end this now, so that I can get it to Robin before she leaves. I look forward to further letters from you.

Love Always,  
Your Papa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is dearest Papa's response. Hit or miss, do you think? I've got more on the way. Let me know what you think. Cheers!


	3. The Guardian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice tells her father about The Guardian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any OUaT characters, just the story.

Dear Papa,

Something terribly wonderful has happened! I think.

I know that you warned me about Rumplestiltskin and you said I shouldn’t trust him, but Papa, he’s my friend. He’s not the same man you once knew, not at all. He’s told me some of his story - about his son, about his wife and their life together - and I know he’s different. Just like you, he’s changed. He’s a good man. You probably want to know why I’m saying that, don’t you. Alright, let me tell you as story.

Once upon a time, the Dark One fell in love with an ordinary-extraordinary woman named Belle. She was the only person who could see past his outside and into his heart. She knew that he was not as beastly as he seemed. It wasn’t all candy and rainbows, though. You see, the Dark One made many mistakes, he hurt people - even Belle - but in the end, it was his love for her and for the son that they had together that turned him. You see, when he was born, he was meant to be a saviour, but a dark fairy severed him from that destiny and lost herself in the process. By helping to defeat the dark fairy, the Dark One chose the side of light and he and Belle were reunited.

There was a problem, though. Being the Dark One, possessing the cursed dagger, it meant that he could live out the rest of his days with his love. It meant that he had to watch her grow old and he held her hand when she died. It was very hard for him to face the future without her, for it had been her belief in his goodness that kept him from succumbing to the darkness once more. So he buried his wife and he promised her that he would find a way to rid himself of the curse so that he could find his way back to her some day. 

You see, Papa, he had discovered a way to rid himself of the dagger - by finding a person known as The Guardian. 

Who or what was this Guardian you ask? (I assume you’d ask that.)

The Guardian is someone who possesses light magic so powerful that they could take on the power of the dagger without the darkness blackening their heart the way it had done with so many others. The Dark One vowed that he would find this Guardian and be rid of his curse once and for all. 

And Papa, you’ll never guess what happened! He found her! 

It’s me, Papa! I'm the Guardian!

But that's not the best part.

Rumple told me that when I take on the power of the dagger, I'll be immortal. I'll be in the world forever!

Except, it didn't happen, Papa. Rumple didn't let it happen.

I was so confused. I don't want that kind of power, I never have, but it seemed like the right thing to do. I mean, if it meant that I could cure the poison in your heart, I'd do it. Rumple told me it was possible and I wanted to do it. I passed the test. (Don't ask about that, all right.) So he took me to a place where the dead are mourned and honoured, and he showed me a photo graph (It's like a painting, but it's done by a machine. Someday, I want to visit the realm that has such wonders! Ask Robin about her magic box.) Papa, Belle was so beautiful! She looked so kind. I wanted Rumple to be able to see her again. She reminded me of Robin, in a way. It was like that time I told you about, with the troll, when Robin looked at me and saw me. It's like how she makes me feel special because she really believes that I am. That's how Belle made Rumple feel.

So, I took the dagger, Papa. I didn't know what to do with it, but then it whispered to me and told me how. I felt magic flood into me from all around. It was Dark and a little scary at first. Then it changed and I felt light, like I could take that Darkness and burn it away, like the sun on a foggy day. It felt like nothing I've ever felt before.

Then Rumple stopped it! He knocked the dagger out of my hands and stopped the magic.

Papa, I was so confused! I was even a little bit angry. But, he told me why. He said ‘Immortality is just another tower.’ He said that! He also said that he promised Belle that whoever took on the dagger, that it wouldn't be a burden. He said that he couldn't do that to me -- that I'm going to find love and I'm going to live my life, free from towers, even if he lost the battle to the Darkness again.

I can't let that happen! I won't! You may not see it, but he really is a good man. I'm not going to let him forget that and I'm going to help him find a new Guardian. He says that he thinks there's more than one. He even said he'd teach me how to to use the magic I have, so I don't accidentally make another troll or something worse. He said he would help me find a cure for you.

Papa, I love you very much, so please don't be angry with me. I know he's not your friend, but I don't believe he's your enemy any longer. He won't hurt me on purpose. He gave up his True Love for my happiness. He's not the same man who hurt you. And remember, you forswore vengeance when I was born. You promised.

Papa, do you think I will ever have a chance at True Love? For the first time in my life, I actually want to find it.

Love,  
Your Alice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's baaaaack! I'll try to get the 'response' letter out soon. Life sort of handed me an entire lemon tree, so I'm doing my best. Cheers!


	4. Hook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hook's reply to his daughter concerning her being The Guardian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any OUaT characters, just my stories.

Dear Alice,

It's hard to credit the man who took my hand and caused the death of his own wife as something other than Evil. It strains even the belief of a former pirate to see the Dark One as anything other than a crocodile. Normally, I'd fear that he has you under his thrall and I'd be mounting a rescue party forthwith.

The problem is, I don't disbelieve you.

I showed you letter to Henry and to Regina. They read it and they laughed. You see, my starfish, Rumplestiltskin is Henry's grandfather. Henry is the son of the boy I told you about, Milah's son. His name was Baelfire. In the Land Without Magic he met Henry's mother, Emma, and they fell in love. Henry told me that. He told me about Belle as well, and about Rumplestiltskin having another son named Gideon. He told me that even though his grandfather wasn't perfect, when something called the 'Final Battle’ took place, it was because of Rumplestiltskin doing the right thing that Good prevailed. Henry said that Belle was a truly remarkable person. I sort of wish I’d met her.

When Regina read your letter she laughed. She said that it was amazing that he would do the right thing without Belle there to guide him. She said that you must be a special girl, which I don’t disagree with. She told me a little bit more about the croc - sorry - about Rumplestiltskin and his life. She told me that he struggles with the darkness inside of him, much as she does, and that he’s only ever had Belle and Gideon to believe in him, instead of an entire family. Did you know that his father was Peter Pan? I told you about him, remember? He was even worse, I think, than the Dark One. At any rate, his father left him alone when he became Pan, even after his mother was already gone. I know that I didn’t leave you on purpose, love, but that hits rather close to home, don’t you agree?

Regina says that while she doesn’t think he will be able to completely let go of the Darkness that the dagger forces upon him, that he will try. After all, that’s all we can hope for at the best of times, isn’t it? I will not tell you not to see him, not after what he did for you. Please, love, do be careful around him. That is all I will say on the matter.

As for your other question. You are a free woman, Alice. You aren’t in that godawful prison anymore. You are free to find love, wherever you will. If True Love is something that you wish, then by all that is holy, you shall have it, my girl. I will help, if I am able. Or would that not be good? I have no idea if parents are even supposed to have a say in who their children end up with. Maybe I should ask Regina. Or perhaps, Zelena, Robin’s mother. Have you met her? She is quite the formidable woman. It seems all of the Mills women are. Don’t worry, though, Starfish, we Jones’ are just as tough. At least the women are. I know you never met her, but my mother was a fighter, a strong and beautiful woman. Just as you grew to be. I knew that naming you after her was the best idea I ever had.

Go, love, be free! You are a special woman, indeed, and someday, there will be someone who sees that as I do. Whatever you do, do not settle for someone simply because you are lonely or sad. Whoever you find, make sure that they cherish you properly. I love you, Alice.

Your Papa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it seems these were a good idea, eh? Excellent! Well, I have more ideas, so more will be on the way as soon as I can get them down. Not just letters between father and daughter, but others as well. I do hope you like it! Cheers!


	5. What is Love?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice asks her father some questions that he doesn't really know how to answer. He tries his best and gets some help from his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own any OUaT characters, just my story.

Dear Papa,  


How do I know if I’m in love? 

How did you know that you loved Milah? 

I know that I love you, but I can’t imagine it’s the same thing. Is it? 

What does it feel like? 

And if I am in love, how do I know whether or not it’s True Love? What is True Love anyway? 

I’ve read books, of course, but nothing is ever really said except that when someone is in love, they would do anything for the person they want to be with. But I would anything for you, Papa, to free you from the poison in your heart. 

You’re probably wondering why I’m asking about love. You see, Papa, I think that I might be in love with someone. Except I don’t know. 

How do I know? How do I find out? Please, help me, Papa!

Alice  
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** My Alice,

My darling Starfish, that is one topic on which I don’t know if I can give you an answer. I will try, but I’ve also included some of the other answers I have received.

First, yes, I love you and you love me. No, it is not the same feeling as the one you wish for me to help you with. The reason you can’t find the answer in a book is because there is no one answer for Love. If you ask your Dark friend, I’m sure he will tell you the same thing. Just don’t ask him about Milah, yeah?

True Love now… True Love is different from other love. Most people say what you and I have is a form of True Love, because I was willing to give up being a pirate to stay with you in the tower. I’m sure it’s true. If I had to make the decision over again, I’d do it, a thousand times a thousand and one. The True Love that you are talking about, however, is vastly different. What it means is very different to different people. Henry told me that his grandparents broke more than one curse with True Love’s kiss because they believed that no matter what, they would always find each other. True Love takes a belief in love so profound that it changes you without you even realising it’s doing so. Some people with True Love don’t start out that way, some start out as enemies. Henry says that the first time his grandparents met, his grandmother tried to rob his grandfather and he caught her in a net. They were not friends, yet, somehow, fell in love.

Sometimes, True Love is also love at first sight. You see someone from a distance and you feel so connected to them that you have no choice but to talk to them. I knew a mermaid who fell in love with a prince that she had never met. Sure, he was handsome, but that had little to do with why she loved him. However, if you were to ask her, she would not be able to name one single thing that drew her to him. Belle and your Dark One started out as Master and servant. It was her kind heart and nature, plus her intelligence that made him start to see her as something more, and because of this, she saw underneath his ghastly, beastly appearance to the true man who had done bad things to protect those he loved.

That was something that Milah never truly understood about Rumplestiltskin. I think, however, that she would have liked the man he became, that Belle helped him to become.

Does any of this help you? If not, here is some advice from a few others who know more about love than I. 

Your Papa  
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** Hello Alice,

You and I have never been introduced -- my name is Regina Mills. I’m Henry’s mother and your friend Robin’s aunt. When your father showed me your letter, and told me that he wasn’t sure how to give you the kind of answer you might want, I told him that I’d be glad to help. You see, I’ve been in love more than once. When I was a younger woman - younger even that you - I was in love with a man named Daniel. I was a princess and he worked in my family’s stable. That didn’t matter to me or to him. He was a good and kind man and I would have married him if my mother had not intervened. I will never be certain if he was my True Love, but is sure seemed like it at the time. Our stations in life never mattered to either of us and, in truth, I loved horses as much as he did. I dreamed of a simple life where we could breed and raise our own animals and be happy. If you ever want to know what happened, you are free to ask me - or you can ask Robin since she knows the tale.

My second love was a man you may already have heard of - his name was Robin Hood. Yes, that Robin Hood. Your Robin’s father. He was supposed to be my soulmate, according to some fairy dust and a very peculiar fairy named Tinker Bell. I know that you were told by Robin the younger that her father died and that is true - he died to protect her and I from a villain’s attack. Before that, however, there were other… obstacles, let us say, that kept us from being together. In the end, though, we were, for a brief time. It was wonderful! You see, I had not believed that I’d ever be able to feel love again, not after what happened to Daniel. 

Robin Hood and I could have had a good life together - in fact, we did, as short as it was. It didn’t matter that he was a former thief and I was a former Evil Queen. In fact, he was one of the first people to believe in me as I tried to let go of my past and move on with the future. His belief in me, his love gave me a strength that I had not believed I possessed until it was there. I will carry that part of him with me for the rest of my life. 

It’s the same with our friend, Rumplestiltskin, you know. He will carry the memory of Belle’s love and belief in him until the day he can be reunited with her. That is the very essence of True Love - the knowledge that nothing will ever truly part you from that person. My son Henry’s grandparents believed in their love so much that they share a heart - literally. It used to make me a little sick, honestly, just how much they love each other. Now, however, I see it as a goal. I don’t know if I’ll ever find someone to love again and even if I do, I can’t be sure they will be True Love. It doesn’t stop me from wanting it to be so.

You, Alice, are young. You have your entire life ahead of you. From everything I’ve heard of you, I believe that love is out there for you - maybe closer than you think. Let your heart guide you, don’t overthink, don’t be afraid. A little caution is alright, but if you let fear control your heart - fear of loss or fear of anything, really - you may miss your chance. It happened with me. I nearly missed my chance with Robin’s father. From what your father tells me, however, I don’t think fear is anything you’ll have to worry about. 

How fairs Wonderland?

Sincerely,  
Regina Mills  
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** **~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
** Hello again Alice from Wonderland - and other places,

Your father asked me to say something to you about love. I’m not sure what he thinks I could possibly tell you, or why you might listen to me, but I’ll try.

When you are in love with someone, you will want to spend as much time as you can with them. You won’t care what you’re doing. Even if you are sitting in silence, it’s going to be the most glorious silence you could ever imagine, simply because of who you are with. You’ll know that person feels the same way if they seem to enjoy it as much as you do. On the other hand, maybe the person you love is a jokester. To you, it won’t matter how lame the joke is or how terrible the punchline - you will laugh every time. It doesn’t matter. If they love you back, they’ll laugh at your jokes, too.

When you’re in love, you are going to feel connected to that person. It’ll be like a string or a thread has been pulled tightly between you. You’ll know when something’s wrong - even if you’re far away. When you’re together, that string will make you notice things you wouldn’t normally see - like the way they smile or the way their eyes sparkle. Your father tells me that you’re an artist, a painter, so you might get the urge to try to capture the things you see in a drawing or a painting. Somehow, though, no matter how hard you try, it just won’t seem right. That doesn’t mean you should stop trying - the person, whoever they are, will recognise the hard work you put in and they will love it, no matter what it looks like.

The most important thing you need to know about love is Always Be Yourself. When you find yourself falling in love, no matter how many times it happens, you may find that you want or need to do something grand to prove it. Don’t. No matter how hard you plan, no matter what, it won’t go how you want it. I know from experience. Keep things simple. If you want to show your affection, just be affectionate. Smile. Laugh. Do something that you know the both of you will enjoy. But, don’t be afraid to try new things - for example, if the one you are falling for possesses a skill that you don’t, see if they are willing to teach you and then, offer to show them something in return. Don’t try to run off and say, slay a dragon to prove how brave you are. 

Alice, the most important thing to remember about love is that whoever you are with will never ask you to change and you will never expect them to. You might change small things on your own, but only because you want to. For example -- you might start eating foods that you never did before, because that person likes them, or you might change your routine simply to spend as much time with that person as you can. If they return your affections, they will probably do the same and they will be happy to know that you care for them enough to do the same.

One final thing: gifts. When you’re in love, you will find yourself wanted to give the person you love gifts. Keep this in mind: someone who truly loves you won’t expect you to spend money on them all of the time. In fact, they might feel bad if you do. Until you’re sure, keep it simple. For you, I’d say use those creative skills of yours and make things. If the person you love returns your feelings, it won’t matter if the thing you made looks terrible or falls apart, because they know that you took the time to make it for them. If they give you gifts, no matter what they are, never forget to be grateful.

I know that we don’t know each other very well at all, but I do know your father and I respect him. He talks about you like you hung the sun and the moon, so I know you must be an extraordinary person. That means, whoever you love will be just as extraordinary, even if they don’t know it. Don’t settle, but also, don’t be led astray by a pretty face. (Sorceress…) Your father believes in you, so that means I do, too.

You’ll find love, Alice, and you’ll know it for what it is, even if you take none of my advice. After all, you broke the spell on that tower all by yourself, didn’t you? (Ella says you probably shouldn’t listen to me, in fact, but she’s here, so what does she know?)

Your friend (I hope),  
Henry Mills  
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** **~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
** Dear Papa,

Thank you! And please, tell Henry and Regina thank you, as well. I’m still not sure about love or being in love, but it helps to know others who have. I asked Robin about it and she… well, she acted very strangely, Papa. I don’t know what to make of it. Normally, I can ask her anything and she’ll tell me -- even embarrassing things. It’s so wonderful to have a friend like her!

She made me a gift, Papa. It’s a very pretty bracelet, made with many colours. She says that they make them in her realm and then swap them. I didn’t have one to give to her, so I gave her my watch from Wonderland. It runs backwards instead of forwards. I’ve never been able to figure out how to use it, but Robin is clever, so she just might. I put the bracelet on and, Papa, I’m never going to take it off. It’s so pretty! Just like Robin.

I’m going to be gone for a while. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere dangerous and I’m not going alone. Robin and Rumple will be with me. Well, it was Rumple’s idea, but when I talked to Robin about it, she wanted to go. We’re going to a Library. Rumple says it has the largest arcane collection of books in all the realms. We’re going to see if we can find a book that might help to cure the poison in your heart.  
You see? Rumple kept his promise to help me.

Papa, I think… I think that it must be very hard for Rumple to be so alone. I try to spend as much time with him as I can, but he won’t let me stay outdoors with him at night. What if he gets hurt? Who will help me save you? Who will help me with my magic? I know that he’s the Dark One, but that doesn’t mean he has to like the dark. If he won’t let me stay with him, do you think there’s anything else I can do?

I’m sorry this letter is so short, but Robin will be her soon to collect it for you. We are going on a picnic! She said that her mother gave her the idea and since I’ve never been on a picnic before, she wants to take me. We are going to the lake near my home. It’s warm enough now that we may even go swimming. 

I love you, Papa.

Your Alice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this was enjoyable. I thought that it might be difficult for Nook to answer the questions posed, since he doesn't really have all that much experience with the subject in question. Getting the POV of others seemed like something he might do. Cheers!


	6. Loneliness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice is lonely and frustrated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own no OUaT characters, just my stories

Dear Papa,

I’m very sad today. We’ve just returned home from the Library and I’m sorry to say that we didn’t find anything to help you. Rumple says not to lose heart, though, because the answer has to be somewhere. All poisons have a cure. He wants to go to Wonderland to find the red toadstool that the poison comes from. He thinks that maybe if he can study the poison, he might be able to come up with some sort of antidote. 

Maybe. Might.

I hate those words!

All that I want is to hug you again! Is that too much to ask?

Robin says that I can’t give up hope. She told me that if I want, she’d be my ‘designated hugger’, whenever I’m feeling blue. I have to admit, Papa, Robin is almost as good at hugging as you are. It’s not the same, but… it is nice. It’s nice to be close to someone again.

It’s the strangest thing, Papa, how Robin just seems to fit into my life, like a piece of a puzzle that I didn’t know was missing until it was there.

When Rumple told me that he didn’t think we were going to find the answers we were looking for, I got angry. I’m sorry, Papa. I know you always said that I shouldn’t let my anger get the best of me, but right then, I just couldn’t help it. I was so angry and sad and disappointed… and it hurt so much! I couldn’t breathe, so I ran outside and I tried to hide. I wanted so much to hug you that I tried to hug myself and tried to remember what it was like when you used to do it.

Papa, I couldn’t remember! I couldn’t remember what it felt like to be your daughter!

I was crying when Robin found me. She didn’t say anything, she just put her arms around me and held me and let me cry on her shoulder.

When I was all cried out, she told me that she was sorry that we hadn’t found anything, but it didn’t mean we would stop looking. She promised that she would come with me no matter where we had to go, if it meant that you and I could be together again. She said she’d even go to the Underworld if she had to. I’m so lucky to have met her, aren’t I? She’s the very best friend I could have ever asked for.

Anyway, after she said that, she asked me if I was going to be okay. So I told her why I was crying. She gave me another hug and told me that any time I feel like I need a hug, all I have to do was ask. I think I will probably ask a lot and hope that she doesn’t get tired of me too soon. 

Papa, did you ever get tired of me? Did you ever get tired of being trapped in that tower with me? Did you ever want to run away, far away, and forget about me -- the way my mother did?

I know that she is evil, but do you think my mother could ever love me? Do you think that she ever wonders about me? Could she turn to the light, the way Rumple did. Or you? I know what she did to you was evil and it hurt us both, but Rumple and Regina both turned from the Dark and I was wondering if she might have it in her, too? Is that silly?

Robin told me that she thinks it’s natural to wonder about where I come from. She said that she asked her aunt about her father a lot. She wanted to know what he was like and if he would have been proud of her. I don’t wonder if my mother would be proud of me, but I do wonder if she ever thinks about me. Robin told me that her mother once very wicked and downright evil, but she changed and got better. Sometimes I wish… But not that kind of wish.

Sometimes, I’m just so lonely, Papa. I miss you terribly, every day!

Your Alice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a big thank you to everyone who has read these letters and reviewed and/or left me a kudos! You are all fantastic people and I hope that you continue to enjoy what I've got to write. Cheers!


	7. Loneliness II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nook's response to the last letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own the OUaT characters, just my story.

_ My Dearest Starfish, _

_ While it saddens me to hear that you were unable to find the answers you seek, I am grateful that you have such friends as Robin and the Dark One to help you with our search. I have the promise of Regina, Henry, Ella, and even Robin’s  mother, Zelena, that they will also aid in the search for a cure. I have always known that it would not be an easy fix, for if it were, Gothel would not have enacted it upon me. However, I do believe that we will find a cure someday and that I will be able to hold you in my arms once more. I truly believe that, love. _

_ It breaks my heart to know what my own foolishness caused you. All those years that you had to remain in that godawful tower, all on your own. You are a much stronger person than I to come out of it the kind and joyful woman that you are. You, my love, remain the greatest treasure of my life -- and that is saying something, what with me being a pirate and all.  _

_ Did I sometimes wish that the tower did not exist, that we were not trapped within it? Yes, of course I did. You deserved to be free, Alice! Your spirit, you very essence was never meant to be trapped in such a place. You are bright and your goodness has always shone forth -- brighter than any sun. _

_ Did I ever regret my choice to stay with you? _

_ NEVER!!! _

_ I’ve said it before and I will say it always: no matter how you came into this world, I have never mourned my role as your father. The loss of my freedom was no great thing because I knew in my heart that the tower didn’t have the same hold on me as it did you. I stayed because you were my greatest joy, Alice. When I was with Milah, I thought that I knew what love was, but it paled in comparison to the love I felt the moment that I held you in my arms. Watching you grow, seeing you learn brought me such happiness, every moment of every day. Yes, there were hard times -- the first time you got angry at me, the first time you were hurt because I was careless, and any time you cried because you were unable to leave. I did everything in my power to give you the kind of life I felt you deserved and if I had to make the choice again, I would choose you a thousand times over. _

_ I am glad that you have someone in your life like Robin. She seems loyal and kind -- just the right kind of friend for you. She is also, from what I’ve been told, brave in the face of danger and clever enough to think before she acts. It’s also my opinion that she has very good tastes in her choice of friends to have chosen you. However, knowing both her aunt and her mother, do be careful -- the Mills women are powerfully stubborn. It is both an asset and a failing. I should know. We Jones’ are the same. _

_ As for Gothel… I really wish you wouldn’t call her ‘mother’. As far as I’m concerned, she may have given birth to you, but she will never be your mother. Not after what she did to you, to us. _

_ Alice I don’t know what to say. Could Gothel turn over a new leaf and come back to the side of light? Of course she could. If the Dark One can, so can she. However… _

_ The very idea of that woman having any kind of influence over you scares me silly. It isn’t just that she was willing to leave a newborn baby alone to die, because that is bad enough in my opinion. She has done other things, love, terrible things, and I know that she plans to do even more. And while I fully accept my role in our being torn from each other’s lives for so long, I must also point out that it was she who poisoned me. On my own, I would have done exactly what I set out to do and you would have been out of that prison by the time you were 10 years old. It was as much her interference as my stupidity that hurt you so. _

_ I have nightmares, sometimes, about that terrible day. I can still hear you calling for me, begging me to come back. It breaks my heart, and it always will. If I can’t hold you again, yet, at least we have this. We still have each other, alive and well.  _

_ I am so proud of you, Alice, for everything you’ve done with the life that was given to you. It may not have always been fair to you, but you made the most of it, and through it all, you never allowed yourself to be darkened. I will always be the proudest Papa in all the lands. _

_ Love Always, _

_ Your Papa _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken me so long to get out. My life got sort of complicated and sad. It's a little better now, so hopefully I can get on with this. I have so much more I want to put in here. Not just letters between Alice and Hook, either. At any rate, thanks for sticking with me! Cheers!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoy this. Cheers!


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